it was enchanting to meet you
by geekyblackwidow
Summary: One-shot, AU where Emma grew up in the Land Without Magic, and her parents found her n her 19th birthday. At the ball celebrating her 21st birthday, Emma meets a man with startling blue eyes that might just change her life. Inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Enchanted'


God, she bloody hated these balls. Her 21st birthday, supposed to be a big celebration, but she just wanted to go down to the local tavern and drink and laugh and flirt. But, of course, she has to attend the ball, in a massive poofy dress that really doesn't suit her, and make polite conversation with diplomats, and politicians, and all the suitors that her mother has arranged to be here, because its 'high time that she got herself married.'

Perks of growing up an orphan in a land without magic: no balls. God this is torture. Forcing herself to laugh at the incredibly dull princes and lords, faking a smile whenever one of her parents caught her eye, feeling more alone in the sea of people than she did in the prison cell.

She gets lost in her memories; growing up in the foster system in Portland, Maine; stealing a car and consequently meeting the guy who had stolen it mere days before her; falling in love with the car thief; getting framed for his crime and going to prison for a year; finding out she was pregnant in jail; getting an abortion instead of subjecting the kid to her miserable excuse of a life or the foster system; finding out on her nineteenth birthday that she had parents that loved her and had tried for ages to find her.

They turned up at the door to her shabby apartment in the run down back alleys of New York, and explained everything to her. At first, she wasn't convince, but when they opened that portal... Well that convinced her, to say the least. She quickly packed a bag; her clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, hair ties, shoes, make-up. Sounds like a lot, but she didn't have a lot of money, so didn't really own much of each.

They brought her through the portal, where she found that she was the princess of the land. She'd been forced into tight-fitting dresses and corsets that gave her trouble breathing.

_**Sometimes she just wished she could go back to being ordinary Emma Swan, orphan, bail bonds woman, barely living, merely surviving, but doing it her way. Where she took care of herself - no one else, and no one else took care of her. Where she had to work to earn, not just get handed things on a silver platter.**_

She was being subjected to the brilliant dancing of the extremely dull and exceptionally rude Lord Victor. He was either oggling her breasts, feeling up her arse, touching her in an extremely inappropriate manner or gawking at the other women and paying no attention to her whatsoever. She, being extremely bored, let her eyes wander around the extremity of the party her parents had thrown; waiters handing out glasses of champagne (what she wouldn't do for a bottle of vodka); hundreds of people here to celebrate her birthday, even though they probably don't care about her, and she couldn't care less about them.

Until her eyes caught those of a startling blue.

His eyes stared onto her soul, making her blush. Emma Swan doesn't blush. Not since him.

But then the song ends, and the man's silhouette starts making it's way through the crowd.

He finds her quickly, as if his feet had dragged him of their own accord. He bowed slowly, as she took him in - the ebony hair that was roguishly messy, the stubble on his face that made him look daring, the way his eyebrow lifted and his mouth quirked up into a smirk.

"May I have this dance, princess?" he asked, his voice smooth and lilting.

"You may. With whom do I have the pleasure of dancing with?" She replied, as eloquently as she could. For once, she was gratefu for the etiquette lessons she had been given over the past two years.

"Captain Killian Jones, of the Royal Navy." He grinned at her, and that grin made her body fill with excited butterflies.

"Nice to meet you Jones. I'm Swan. Emma Swan." She replied, waggling her eyebrows at him in joking manner. It seemed to work, because he laughed, a melodic sound, one she wished to hear again and again.

"Well then, Swan," He said her last name like a nickname.

"Jones."

"Would you care to join me for a small stroll around the gardens? Forgive me, but you don't seem to exactly be enjoying youself, darling, aside from this particular dance. How about we go get some air?" His eyebrow raised in a suggestive manner, that made her more than anything want to kiss him senseless.

"I would love to get some fresh air, if you would be so kind as to escort me." She replied, realising that she needed to gain control of her flirting. Maybe fresh air was a good idea.

He offered her his arm, and she places her hand in the crook of his elbow, and let him lead her outside. The ball was torture; every step she took meant abdominal pain, and potential suffocation.

They talked some more, trivial things that were unimportant, about everything and at the same time, nothing. After what seemed like mere minutes, one of the guards were sent to fetch her, as her ball appeared to be at an end.

She gave the Captain a sad smile, as she whispered, "Time flies when you're having fun, but as usual, all good things must come to an end." No one seemed to understand the idioms here, especially not with the sarcasm she usually paired with them.

Jones took her hand, and brought it to his lips. "Until next time, Swan." Then she was led away.

* * *

><p>Her mother came into her room, just as the damn infernal corset was off of her body and she was able to breathe again.<p>

"You missed half of the ball. You offended quite a few princes and lords by not dancing with them." The Queen seemed quite disappointed with her.

"I probably did them a favour. I can't dance, so they would have had to endured me stumbling all over their feet for five minutes. Plus, how can they be offended? I just wasn't there to dance with them, its not like I gave them the middle finger."

Snow seemed to realise that there was no point pushing her daughter, who had changed into shorts and a baggy top -her pyjamas. The Queen left her daughter, deciding to pursue the topic once again when they were both more awake.

This left Emma to her thoughts : she couldn't stop thinking of him. He saw through her like she's transparent, she finds it so easy to talk to him, which scares the hell out of her. But what scares her more, is that she'd rather be scared with him, than let her fear keep her away from him.

It was enchanting to meet him.

All she could think was '_**please don't be in love with someone else**_'.

* * *

><p>She was wandering round the gardens, wearing leggings, her Nirvana top and a long coat, when she heard his voice.<p>

"Swan!"

She whipped her head around, her blonde hair flying in her face as he came up to her, looking slightly more disheveled, as if he had been in a rush to get here.

"I couldn't stop thinking of you. I had to tell you, had to let you know how I feel, because if I don't, I'll be forever in agony, wanting to know if you were as enchanted to meet me as I was enchanted to meet you. If you don't feel the same way, darling, its completely fine, but I need to know." His confession was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful, that she knew she couldn't match it with words.

Actions always spoke louder for her anyway.

She grabbed his face, and pulled his lips down to hers, not caring that she was being watched by a lot of guards and probably her parents. To hell with courting; she was from the 21st century modern world, where you can do what you want, without being judged to harshly (discounting the trolls on the internet).

The feeling of his lips on hers scares her immensely, but she'd rather have and enchanting, passionate romance than to shut him out.

And that's what scares her the most.

"Morning beautiful." He whispers against her skin. The past year with him has been incredible - although her parents are disapproving of the pace the relationship is going.

But she doesn't care what anyone thinks, because she's got him.

It was enchanting to meet him, and its enchanting to be in love with him.

So when he whispers a heartfelt "Happy Birthday, love." she can't help but smile, one that reaches her eyes.

"I love you."

"Aye. I love you too."


End file.
